A ceremony was recently held in California which focused on the fifth C-17 Globemaster III destined for the Royal Air Force. The “Fly Away” event took place at C-17 manufacturer Boeing’s facility at Long Beach, California, with the C-17 departing to San Antonio, Texas. There, the aircraft will be readied for its entry into RAF service.

As well as the departing flight of the new aircraft – dubbed ‘UK5’ – the ceremony also featured the joining together of the main airframe components of the sixth RAF Globemaster-to-be – the ‘major join’ seeing the wings fused on the fuselage.

RAF’s Fifth C-17 to arrive at Brize Norton in April

UK5 is scheduled to arrive at RAF Brize Norton in two months time, where it will join the other four examples operated there by 99 Squadron. UK6 will follow on two months later.

The ceremony saw the attendance of the (UK) Chief of Defence Material, General Sir Kevin O’Donoghue.

In comments made prior to the trip out to California, Gen. O’Donoghue described the event as a ‘major milestone’ .

He continued: “A fifth C-17 will increase our ability to transport troops and heavy equipment quickly to operations, boosting vital military logistics capability. The aircraft's performance and durability on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is outstanding."

RAF has Operated C-17s for Seven Years

C-17s have now served within the Royal Air Force for nearly seven years. During that time, the type has seen continuous employment in areas of conflict, taking part in missions including humanitarian aid.

As a transport aircraft, it is capable of accommodating loads up to 75 tonnes in weight. It is also able to operate from rough airstrips, meaning it can be used in a variety of operations.

While the four C-17s currently operated by 99 Squadron are provided on a lease basis, in July 2006, it was agreed that they would be purchased at the agreement’s end. The deal for aircraft number five was signed a month later, while the intention for a sixth aircraft purchase was announced in July last year.

Source – Armed Forces International’s Aviation Expert

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